A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

He Jinglan stopped and looked at Gu Xixi.

Upon noticing the two approaching, He Jinghui and An Qinghe stopped arguing.

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "I know."

"He never fights a battle unprepared; he only does so if he has personally tested it and is absolutely certain that it will be foolproof."

"The emperor cannot appear on the platform today."

He Jinghui wholeheartedly agreed, saying, "Mu Nanzhao truly considered all possibilities when he did things."

"If the oil cauldron plan is not safe enough, he will probably find another excuse to prevent His Majesty from being present at the scene."

"but……"

He looked at Gu Xixi, his brows furrowed, "Boss Gu, what I want to say is that Qi Xiu (Mu Nanzhao, courtesy name Qi Xiu) suddenly asked you to go on stage this morning, it was definitely not because he didn't care about your life or death."

"If it's about getting things done, let alone just trying a magic trick, there are plenty of people willing to go into a vat of boiling oil for him."

"But he insisted on taking the risk himself and tried so many times. Who did Boss Gu think he was doing it for?"

Gu Xixi hadn't reacted yet, but He Jinglan was already unhappy.

"Brother! Isn't your bias a bit too obvious?"

He Jinghui was as kind and cheerful as ever. "I didn't mean to question Mr. Gu. I just didn't want him to misunderstand and think that he was someone who would not care about anything for the sake of profit."

Gu Xixi nodded slightly to He Jinghui, "Thank you for the reminder, Lord He."

She raised her eyes, her gaze calm and unwavering. "I know he's not that kind of person. If he were, I might already be dead."

Nighttime, the Regent's Palace.

Mu Nanzhao responded indifferently, "I understand."

He Jinghui stared in disbelief. "She wasn't surprised, and neither were you. You both told me you knew."

"You've made me, the middleman, lose face!"

Mu Nanzhao lowered his head to grind the ink, "No one asked you to be the middleman."

He Jinghui was choked and couldn't catch his breath. He sat down and drank half a cup of cold tea, which helped him swallow it down.

He pointed at himself and accused, "Whom am I doing this for?"

"Didn't you say you never understood why, even though she was so good to you, even willing to risk her life for you, there was always something between you, like defensiveness, or even fear?"

"You pride yourself on being smart but still can't solve this. If I, as your brother, don't give you a push, you'll miss out on Gu Xixi's shop. With your personality, you might end up a bachelor for life!"

Mu Nanzhao gave him a cold glance.

He Jinghui raised his head and looked back, "Go ahead and glare at me, I still have to tell the truth!"

"Did you see Anqing? Although he is a foreigner and a merchant, and doesn't seem as powerful or influential as you, the Regent, Boss Gu is not that kind of vain woman."

"What if she doesn't mind marrying a barbarian? On the contrary, they are a perfect match, one a farmer and the other a businessman. With their abilities, they might be richer than you someday."

"Look at you, the higher your position, the more glamorous it seems, but the greater the risks are actually!"

After He Jinghui's analysis, even he couldn't help but shake his head and click his tongue.

"If I were Boss Gu, I might not choose you either."

"It's nice to live a peaceful and prosperous life among ordinary people, free and easy."

Surprisingly, Mu Nanzhao didn't show any displeasure this time.

"You have a good eye for people. After we destroy the Fan family, will you be transferred to the Ministry of Personnel to fill his vacancy?"

He Jinghui was shocked and filled with grief and indignation. "I see now, I was thinking of you with all my heart."

"But you always try to push me out to clean up your messes!"

Mu Nanzhao said earnestly, "Those who are capable should do more."

"Go to hell with your 'capable person'..." He Jinghui only managed to utter half a curse before recalling the unfinished topic from earlier.

"Wait a minute, you said I'm good at judging people, does that mean my analysis of everyone was right?"

He quickly moved to the desk, a mischievous grin spreading across his face, as if he wanted to stir up trouble. "Hey! You also think you're no match for An Qinghe?"

"Thinking about it, her personality is much more likable than yours."

"Besides, everyone else is wholeheartedly protecting Gu Xixi and pursuing her in business. It would be unrealistic for you not to feel a sense of crisis."

"A sense of crisis? Him?" Mu Nanzhao said dismissively, "Not at all."

He Jinghui turned his face away from Mu Nanzhao and made a face, mouthing silently: You're just being stubborn!

Mu Nanzhao calmly said, "What I want to tell you is that I already know the reason behind Gu Xixi's death."

He paused, then added, "At least part of it."

"So you don't need to tell me, I know what to do."

She refused to be exploited; she had another peak she wanted to reach, and she wanted to obtain a peaceful and free life through her own efforts.

Then he stayed by her side, protected her, and watched her get everything she wanted.

He Jinghui looked at Mu Nanzhao, and after a moment, smiled.

“I knew it. Once you've set your mind on someone, it's for life. You wouldn't give up so easily.”

Mu Nanzhao neither confirmed nor denied, and then said, "His Majesty has summoned Gu Xixi to an audience with him tomorrow."

"It wasn't a grand affair, but rather a pretext for Jinglan to enter the harem and reunite with the Yufei sisters."

"I will wait for her in the Imperial Study."

Upon hearing that Gu Xixi was about to meet the emperor, He Jinghui was not surprised, but his expression turned serious.

"I'll make arrangements when I get back."

He thought for a moment and said, "Although Boss Gu was wearing a face mask today, Old Man Fan has already noticed her."

"You're talking about Jinglan's maid, which saves her from being targeted."

He Jinghui still had doubts and asked again, "Jinglan is definitely fine, but what about Boss Gu..."

"Although she had no choice but to go because of His Majesty's summons, I observed her coldly and realized that she seemed to have no interest in the honor and dignity that these noble ladies in the capital valued. I'm afraid this trip was not what she wanted."

A slight smile appeared in Mu Nanzhao's eyes as he thought of Gu Xixi.

No, she will go.

He looked at He Jinghui meaningfully, "If you're so good at judging people, how come you can't even see through this?"

He Jinghui's eyes flickered, and he suddenly realized. "No wonder!"

"No wonder she agreed so readily when you suddenly went to see her this morning."

"It seems she had already made preparations herself!"

In fact, today's opportunity at the city gate and high platform was one that Gu Xixi took the initiative to create for herself.

Even if Mu Nanzhao doesn't take her today, the emperor will find out the whole story afterward, or perhaps after the locust eradication is over.

She was a young woman from an ordinary background in the Northwest who had accomplished such a great feat.

The emperor will summon Gu Xixi sooner or later.

From the moment Gu Xixi proposed the locust eradication plan, she already had the idea of ​​killing two birds with one stone, or even achieving multiple benefits at once.

Having Huo Jiang and the Northwest Army as backers in the Northwest is not enough.

She also wanted to take advantage of the emperor's power.

Once he figured these things out, even He Jinghui felt his heart burning with excitement and couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his brow with his sleeve.

"Mu Nanzhao, you really have fallen for an ambitious girl!"

Mu Nanzhao's tone was calm, yet firm and unwavering.

"I'll follow her as long as her ambitions are as great as they are."

"Who else but me?"